Fall Protection (Full-length version)

Summary

This video script emphasizes the importance of fall protection in the workplace, highlighting the serious injuries and fatalities caused by falls from heights. It advocates for a proactive approach, starting with a fall protection work plan that includes hazard analysis, appropriate methods, training, and rescue procedures. The script discusses three main types of fall protection: restraint systems to prevent falls, arrest systems to stop falls, and work procedure modifications when conventional protection is impractical. It stresses the role of planning, training, and the collective responsibility of employers, supervisors, and workers in ensuring safety and saving lives.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Gravity is a constant force in life, and falls from heights at work can result in serious injuries like broken bones and paralysis.
• 🔍 Over 90,000 workers in British Columbia have fallen from heights on the job in the past decade, highlighting the need for fall protection.
• 🛡 Fall protection is practical, economical, and can save lives, contrary to misconceptions that it's not feasible or too costly.
• 🏗 A fall protection work plan is essential, acting as a blueprint for worker safety at heights by identifying hazards and providing solutions.
• 🔑 The first step in fall protection is recognizing hazards, including horizontal and vertical travel requirements and environmental conditions.
• 🚫 Safety is everyone's responsibility, with employers, supervisors, and workers all having a role in implementing and following fall protection measures.
• 🚫 Three main types of fall protection are discussed: fall restraint systems, fall arrest systems, and work procedures for situations where conventional protection is impractical.
• 🚷 Fall restraint is preferred as it prevents falls from occurring, and can be implemented through guardrails and other physical barriers.
• 🔐 Fall arrest systems are the next line of defense, stopping a fall in progress with a body harness or safety net, and require careful selection and use of equipment.
• 🛠 Work procedures must be modified when fall arrest or restraint is impractical, with safety monitors overseeing work and advising on hazards.
• 🛡 The importance of planning, training, and correct use of equipment is emphasized for effective fall protection and rescue plans.
• 💡 Fall protection is not just about preventing accidents; it's a life-saving measure that should be implemented without hesitation.

Q & A

What is the significance of gravity in the context of workplace safety?

Gravity is a constant force that contributes to the severity of injuries when workers fall from heights, making falls a significant cause of serious injuries in industrial settings.

How many workers have fallen from heights on the job in British Columbia over the past 10 years according to the script?

Over the past 10 years, more than 90,000 workers have fallen from heights on the job in British Columbia.

What types of injuries are commonly associated with falls from heights?

Falls from heights often result in serious injuries such as broken bones, spinal injuries, and paralysis.

Why is fall protection particularly important on the jobsite compared to private life?

Fall protection is crucial on the jobsite because it is where workers are most exposed to the risk of serious injury due to the lack of safety devices that are commonly used in private life.

What is a fall protection work plan and why is it essential?

A fall protection work plan is a job hazard analysis that serves as a blueprint for worker safety at higher elevations, identifying specific hazards, appropriate protection methods, maintenance and inspection procedures, and training for workers.

What are the key components of a fall protection work plan?

The key components include recognizing specific fall hazards, providing appropriate fall protection methods, identifying assembly maintenance and inspection procedures, and providing training and rescue plans for workers.

What is the preferred method of fall protection when planning for hazards in a jobsite?

Fall restraint methods are preferred as they prevent workers from falling in the first place by using solutions like permanent or temporary guardrails.

How can high activity areas be made safer to prevent falls?

High activity areas can be made safer by identifying them and fitting them with fall restraint solutions such as guardrails, safety lines, and other physical barriers.

What are the three common elements found in all types of fall arrest equipment?

The three common elements are an anchorage point, a connecting means or lanyard, and a body holding device or harness.

Why is it important to wear a properly fitted harness when using fall arrest systems?

A properly fitted harness is important to distribute the shock of a fall between the shoulders and hips, reducing the risk of serious internal injuries.

What is a safety monitor and how does it contribute to fall protection?

A safety monitor is a trained worker who oversees the crew, continually advising them of fall hazards they may be exposed to, ensuring that workers are aware of their surroundings and potential dangers.

How can fall protection be made more practical and economically feasible on the jobsite?

Fall protection can be made practical and economically feasible by careful planning, using cost-effective solutions like guardrails and warning lines, and ensuring proper training and equipment maintenance.

What is the primary reason for implementing fall protection measures?

The primary reason for implementing fall protection measures is to save lives by reducing the risk of serious injury or death from falls on the jobsite.

Outlines

00:00

🔒 Importance of Fall Protection

The first paragraph emphasizes the inevitability of gravity and the serious injuries that can result from falls at work, highlighting the need for fall protection in industrial settings. It points out the discrepancy between the safety measures taken in personal life and the lack of such precautions on job sites. The video aims to address misconceptions about fall protection, asserting that it is both practical and economically feasible. The paragraph introduces the concept of a fall protection work plan, which serves as a blueprint for worker safety at heights, and outlines the components of such a plan, including hazard recognition, appropriate fall protection methods, system maintenance, inspection, training, and rescue procedures.

05:05

🚧 Types of Fall Protection Systems

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of fall protection systems, discussing the three main types: fall restraint systems that prevent falls, fall arrest systems that stop falls in progress, and alternative work procedures for situations where conventional fall protection is not feasible. It stresses the preference for fall restraint methods due to their preventative nature and cost-effectiveness. The paragraph also covers various fall arrest equipment, the importance of proper harness fitting, the use of shock-absorbing lanyards, and the selection of suitable anchor points. Additionally, it touches on lifeline systems, retractable lanyards, safety nets, and the concept of a safety monitor to oversee and advise workers on fall hazards during high-risk tasks.

10:11

🛠 Planning and Implementing Fall Protection

The third paragraph focuses on the planning and implementation of fall protection measures. It reiterates the importance of recognizing specific fall hazards at a jobsite and developing a fall protection work plan that includes fall restraint methods and fall arrest devices. The paragraph also addresses the need for variations in work procedures when standard fall protection techniques are impractical. It underscores the importance of using equipment correctly, maintaining it, and having an effective rescue plan in place. The paragraph concludes by dispelling common myths about the cost and inconvenience of fall protection, asserting that it is a valuable investment in worker safety that could ultimately save lives.

Keywords

💡Gravity

Gravity is the natural force that attracts two objects towards each other. In the context of the video, it is the force that causes workers to fall when they lose their balance at heights, emphasizing the importance of fall protection measures. The script mentions that gravity is a constant in life, and it is responsible for the serious injuries that occur when workers fall from heights on the job.

💡Fall Protection

Fall protection refers to a set of safety measures and equipment designed to prevent workers from falling from heights or to arrest their fall if they do. The video's main theme revolves around the necessity and practicality of implementing fall protection in the workplace. It discusses various types of fall protection systems and emphasizes that they can be both practical and economically feasible, with the ultimate goal of saving lives.

💡Fall Restraint Systems

Fall restraint systems are a type of fall protection that prevent workers from falling by restricting their movement near the edge of a height. The video highlights that these systems are preferred as they eliminate the risk of a fall before it occurs. Examples given include the use of guardrails and safety lines, which are simple and cost-effective solutions to prevent falls in high-activity areas.

💡Fall Arrest Systems

Fall arrest systems are designed to stop a fall in progress by catching a worker who has already begun to fall. The video explains that these systems consist of an anchorage point, a connecting means (like a lanyard), and a body harness. They are the next line of defense when fall restraint is not practical, as they can prevent severe injuries by arresting the fall and distributing the force of the impact.

💡Work Procedures

Work procedures in the context of fall protection refer to the specific steps and methods that workers follow to perform tasks safely at heights when conventional fall protection is not feasible. The video suggests that when fall restraint and arrest systems cannot be used, alternative work procedures should be developed and followed to ensure safety. This could include the use of safety monitors or other innovative safety measures.

💡Environmental Conditions

Environmental conditions are external factors that can affect the safety of workers at heights, such as icy, slick, or wet surfaces. The video script mentions that these conditions should be considered when planning fall protection measures, as they can increase the risk of falls. Addressing these conditions is part of a comprehensive fall protection plan.

💡Horizontal and Vertical Travel

Horizontal and vertical travel refer to the movement of workers at heights, either along a surface (horizontal) or up and down (vertical). The video script discusses the importance of considering these travel requirements when designing fall protection systems, as they can influence the type of equipment and measures needed to ensure safety.

💡Obstructions

Obstructions are physical barriers or hindrances that can impede the movement of workers or the effectiveness of fall protection systems. The video emphasizes the need to identify and consider obstructions when planning for fall protection, as they can create additional hazards or complicate the implementation of safety measures.

💡Safety Monitor

A safety monitor is a trained worker who oversees a crew and continually advises them of potential fall hazards. This concept is introduced in the video as a proactive approach to fall protection, especially when traditional fall protection methods are impractical. The monitor's role is to keep workers aware of their surroundings and potential dangers, thereby reducing the risk of falls.

💡Rescue Plan

A rescue plan is a pre-planned strategy for responding to incidents where a worker has fallen or is in danger. The video stresses the importance of having an effective rescue plan as part of the overall fall protection strategy. This plan ensures that in the event of a fall, there are clear procedures in place to quickly and safely assist the affected worker.

💡Pre-Engineering

Pre-engineering in the context of the video refers to the planning and design phase that occurs before work commences at a jobsite, specifically for the purpose of fall protection. It involves analyzing the jobsite, identifying hazards, and designing appropriate safety measures. The video suggests that pre-engineering is crucial for providing workers with the freedom to move while being safely restrained.

Highlights

Gravity is a constant force in life, with falls from heights resulting in serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

Over 90,000 workers in British Columbia have fallen from heights on the job in the past decade.

Falls from heights are more dangerous than other industrial accidents, often leading to broken bones, spinal injuries, and paralysis.

Despite being cautious in private life, workers often lack proper safety measures on the jobsite.

Fall protection is both practical and economically feasible, and it can save lives.

A fall protection work plan is essential, acting as a blueprint for worker safety at higher elevations.

Planning for fall protection should begin before work commences, tailored to each unique jobsite.

Fall restraint systems are preferred as they prevent workers from falling in the first place.

Guardrails, travel restriction systems, and work positioning devices are examples of fall restraint solutions.

Fall arrest systems are the next line of defense, stopping a fall in progress with a body harness or safety net.

Properly fitted harnesses and shock-absorbing lanyards are crucial for effective fall arrest systems.

Lifeline systems and retractable lanyards provide additional mobility and protection for workers at heights.

Safety nets offer passive fall protection, catching workers after a fall in high-risk areas like bridge construction.

Work procedures must be modified when conventional fall protection is impractical, incorporating safety measures into the process.

A safety monitor can oversee a crew, advising them of fall hazards and ensuring safe work practices.

Employers must provide training to foresee potential fall hazards and prepare workers with the necessary skills.

Fall protection equipment must be used and maintained correctly to ensure its effectiveness.

Despite misconceptions, fall protection is not a hindrance to production and can be implemented cost-effectively.

The ultimate reason for using fall protection is to save lives by preventing serious injuries from falls.

Transcripts

There's not too many things you can count on  in life, but gravity is one of them.

When you lose your balance and fall, that's gravity at  work. Over the past 10 years, more than 90,000 workers

have fallen from heights on the job in British Columbia. Falls from high  

elevations result in more serious injuries  than other types of industrial accidents.  

Often workers suffer broken bones, spinal injuries, and paralysis.

The funny thing is that we're all very careful with ourselves  in private life. We wear seat belts when we drive cars.

We wear helmets when we ride motorcycles. We put all kinds of devices in our homes to protect our families.

Everywhere we go, we're protected from serious injury by some sort of safety device,

except where we need protection most: right up there on the jobsite.

This video is about fall protection. It's been produced for all those who've heard that it can't be done,

but who really think that it should be done. Fall protection can be practical and it 

can be provided economically. And more importantly, it can save lives.   

You'd never construct a building without a blueprint because the challenges are so complex.

Fall protection problems are equally complex, but most projects begin without much thought to solving the problems.  

Workers are usually left to their own devices. Most of the  time, that means working without fall protection.  

The solutions begin with planning before work commences at elevation. Each jobsite is different

and each solution must be crafted to the specific jobsite at hand.   

A fall protection work plan is simply a job hazard analysis. It's like a blueprint for worker safety at higher elevations.  

The fall protection work plan will recognize the  specific fall hazards at a particular jobsite,

provide the appropriate fall protection methods  to be used, identify the assembly maintenance  

and inspection procedures of the fall protection  system, and provide for the training and rescue of  

workers who will use the system. The first step in  this process is recognizing the hazards.   

How much horizontal travel is required? How much vertical  travel? Where are the obstructions?

Other factors that should be considered are environmental  conditions like icy, slick, or wet surfaces. 

The fall protection work plan will look at all these  issues and more, including the number of workers  

involved and how often the task is performed. This  type of thorough analysis has to be performed  

before site-specific fall protection measures can  be defined. Keep in mind that safety is everyone's  

responsibility. Employers are responsible  for providing a safe workplace, including  

the fall protection work plan and its systems. Supervisors are responsible for training workers  

in the requirements of the plan, and workers are  responsible to work in a safe manner.  

Everyone has a role in making fall protection work.

During this program, we'll be looking at the three main types of fall protection:

fall restraint systems, which prevent workers from falling,

fall arrest systems, which stop a fall in progress,  

and work procedures where conventional fall protection is impractical to use.

When planning for the fall hazards in a jobsite, fall restraint methods are always preferred

because they prevent a worker from falling in the first place.

Fall restraint solutions are neither complicated  nor expensive to implement.   

High activity areas should be identified and fitted with fall restraint solutions, such as permanent or temporary guardrails.

Loading forest products onto rail cars is a common operation at most mills.  

This activity requires horizontal movement along the top of the car.  

It's a job that's performed regularly on a daily basis in good weather or in bad,   

but it's a job that routinely exposes workers to dangerous fall hazards.

Without protection, a worker could fall from the car, risking serious or fatal injury.

A simple travel restriction system using a safety line will eliminate  most of the risks without compromising the worker's mobility.

The system protects the worker as he travels across the top of the car.

We've all seen hydroelectric workers using work positioning systems.

The use of a pole belt when climbing a pole restricts the worker's travel and eliminates the possibility of a fall.

And all the while, the worker has two hands free to perform his job.

A bucket truck provides a safe platform  from which to perform work at high elevations.

Elevated work platforms, suspended stagings, and  scaffolding all provide a safer footing when working at heights.

While temporary guardrails and other physical barriers are effective and economical ways to prevent falls,

warning lines can be used to cordon off fall hazard areas.

Before we start an operation, we'll look at how we keep our workers safe and we plan to eliminate the hazard.

And the only way we can do that is to allow the worker as much freedom of movement to do his job and also be restrained.

And that takes planning and pre-engineering to be able to do that.

When it's impractical to provide fall restraint, the worker's next line of protection is fall arrest,

where the worker's fall is arrested by means of a body harness or safety net.

There's many different types of fall arrest equipment,  but they all have three elements in common:  

an anchorage point, a connecting means or lanyard, and a body holding device or harness.  

Working together, these three elements constitute a personal fall arrest system.   

Falling into a safety belt could cause serious internal injuries, and harnesses are the preferred choice, but not all body harnesses are equally effective.

This test film shows how different harnesses react to the same weight through distance forces.

It's important to wear the right harness properly fitted.

The lanyard should be connected in line with the spine where the shock of the fall can be distributed between the shoulders and the hips.

Shock absorbing lanyards go a long way in cushioning the force of the fall, but they can lengthen the fall as well.

Choose an anchor that will let you move enough to do your job.

Check out the anchor point thoroughly before  trusting your life to it. The anchor point must be  

strong enough to bear the forces of a fall and be free of any damage.

Try to stay close to the anchor point.

If you move too far away from your anchor  and fall, you risk swinging into objects below.

This is called a swing fall hazard. The further you move horizontally from the anchor point, the greater the swing fall hazard.

Lifeline systems can be vertical or horizontal. They're designed  

to go beyond the length limitations of a lanyard,  providing both mobility and protection.  

Vertical lifelines with rope grabs are particularly useful  when you're involved in work at heights.

The rope grab is designed to lock onto the lifeline when a fall occurs.

Retractable lanyards and lifelines have a locking mechanism, which activates when a fall occurs -- like an automotive seat belt.

These devices are designed to arrest free fall in inches and eliminate the dangerous slack that can develop, using fixed length lanyards.

Safety nets are designed to provide passive fall protection  

under and around elevated work sites, such as bridge construction. The net is there to catch the worker after a fall.

We use fall arrest systems to enable us to safely gain access to all the high  

points on our equipment in order to do regular  maintenance and safety inspections.  

We overcame workers' resistance to fall arrest systems by  asking for feedback from the employees as to  

what they would like to see in the systems and  implementing those, as many of those procedures  

as possible thereby enabling them to work more  safely and more comfortably at heights.  

When it's impractical to use fall arrest or restraint  devices, we need to modify our work procedures  

as a means of providing fall protection. Erecting  scaffolds is a relatively dangerous job in terms of falling,

so it's important to follow correct work procedures when putting up scaffolds.  

A safety monitor is a relatively new concept in fall  protection where a trained worker oversees the crew

and continually advises them of fall hazards they may be exposed to.   

On this job here we've got a safety line, six and a half feet in from the outside perimeter, and the fellows that are working outside,

I've got a number of hazards that the monitor has to alert them to.   

They're working -- moving backwards and laterally -- and they'll come to protrusions, lead stacks, vent systems,

as well as turning your back to the outside edge,  so the monitor has to keep them aware of those perils.

Planning and training are extremely important. The employer must try to foresee the  

situations that the workers might encounter. The workers must then be provided with appropriate training

so that they are as experienced as possible and know the range of options available to them.

Fall protection starts with planning. When  you look at a particular jobsite, recognize the  

specific fall hazards and plan solutions to deal with them. This will become the blueprint for worker safety.

The fall protection work plan: the solutions will include fall restraint methods, which prevent workers from falling

and fall arrest devices, which stop a fall in progress. 

Where these techniques are not practical, variations on  work procedures should be considered and prepared for

to deal with the possible fall hazards. Learn how to use the equipment correctly and maintain it carefully.

In the event of a fall, have an effective rescue plan and make sure that everyone is trained properly.

We've all heard that fall protection is too much of a hassle,

that it gets in the way of production, or or that it costs too much to implement. 

But the fact is that fall protection doesn't have to be expensive and it can be used easily on the jobsite.

Why use fall protection? There's a real simple answer: it could save your life.